Disaggregating Catholic political activism through the interest group paradigm: a case of Legionaries of Christ
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: To what extent is the behaviour of Catholic organisations compatible with the canons of the interest groups’ literature? To answer this question, this article looks at the Legionaries of Christ group as an example of a Catholic organisation engaged in political activism with commitment to the area of education. The Legionaries of Christ are an interesting case because of the group’s rapid rise to power, international outreach, and commitment to evangelisation. In recent decades, however, the group’s activity has been stifled by the revelations of clerical sexual abuse within its structures, prompting the Vatican to initiate a long-term process of reform and renewal. The descriptive account contained in this paper finds that the Legionaries of Christ group has retained its impressive internal structures, and its membership has remained stable. Yet, the group’s prestige and ability to deliver its services has been compromised because of the scandal. Overall, this article finds that political activism of the Legionaries of Christ both conforms, but also departs from the expectation of the main strand of the interest groups’ literatures. The Legionaries do not engage in traditional lobbying activates. Rather, their main sphere of political activism centres on the issue of providing education. The group also has a very pronounced commitment to Catholic evangelisation, which appears to be the primary motivation for its political activism.
Author: Dawid Tatarczyk
Institution: University of Silesia in Katowice
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4412696232